Photograph
by MicksKicksRock
Summary: Natalya and Melina used to be strangers. Now they're best friends. Natalya and Tyson have been together for seven years but what happends when he gets abusive? What mysteries does Natalya keep away from Melina and how does it come to a boil?
1. Chapter 1

Photograph: The Summer We Lived For

The air was clean and crisp. The rain was easing off and the sun started to shine. Nattie was still asleep. I had just got up and had a massive hangover, and I knew Nattie would when she got up. We had been pretty wild last night. Between the drinking and the dancing, I'm shocked that we ended up in the right room. Nattie and I were having the greatest time last night. I wished we had more nights like that. The only issue I had was, last night Tyson brought up all the old memories. I guess I should have seen it coming. Tyson and Nattie had been together years. He had been there for her before I had been. They were inseparable but, last Summer (the Summer Nattie and I got close) things changed. Nattie and I had never been friends, but one hot June morning it changed...

"Hi this is Melina. I'm calling to let you know I missed my flight and I'll be driving very fast to get to the show. Sorry for the inconvenience." I was driving my rental down some abandoned road when I noticed a tiny, blue car parked on the side of the road. Natalya was standing in front of the smoking engine yelling to her cell phone. I decided to pull over and give her a ride.

"Hop in." I opened the passenger-side door and popped the trunk. She almost didn't take the offer. Tyson was on the phone and she seemed very mad.

"Need to vent to someone?" I turned the radio down and waited for a reply.

"Kind of. No offense but I don't know you well enough."

"That's okay. I don't tell secrets."

"Well, Tyson cheated on me."

"Oh." I never knew Tyson to be the type to do that and so it came across as a surprise I guess. Over the Summer Nattie and I grew very very close. We were practically sisters. I was the only one who knew about Tyson's infidelity. It remains that way. Nattie and I were together more than she was with Tyson. We were just that way. I have never felt so loved by someone ever.

"Melina?" Nattie was wide awake and looked like hell.

"Yes Nattie?"

"I think I got hit by a freight train." I just laughed she rolled off the bed and forced her body into the bathroom for a shower. My phone started buzzing.

"Who in the world would be texting me at seven in the morning?" I reached for the phone and the text was blank. The number unknown. Then the number called.

"Hello?"

"Melina. Where is Nattie?"

"She's in the showe-"

"I'm coming to get her. You tell her to get out of the shower and get dressed now."

**Click**

I knew it was Tyson's voice but I was really confused and a little mad.

"Nattie!"

"Yeah?"

"Tyson is coming."

"When."

"Now."

Tyson was bagging on the door and Nattie leaped out of the shower and opened the door.

"Hey baby what are yo-"

"Grab your things. We're leaving now." Nattie looked really upset. Tyson came over and grabbed her bags and took her by the arm and left. I stood in the middle of our hotel room, with the shower running wondering what had just happened. There was a number of possibilities as to what he was doing. None made sense.

"Tyson. I don't understand."

"You should. I know what you did last night."

"I went out with the girls, you knew that. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You saw him didn't you?"

"No."

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying!" There I sat in a mint green towel with wet everything being accused of cheating, "You're the one that cheats not me!" I shouldn't have said it but I did and Tyson slammed the on the breaks.

"How dare you." He slapped me across the face. The sting of the slap hurt more than any sick bump I've ever taken. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"We are done Tyson Kidd!" I rushed to grab my phone and got out of the car and just walked as far away as I could. I called Melina.

"Mel Mel!"

"What's wrong Nattie?"

"Come get me." When she finally got to me, my hair was dry. I crawled into the backseat of the car and laid there.

"Let me see your face."

I liked up at Melina long enough for her to get a good look, "I'll kill him. He's a dead son of a bitch." Melina drove fast and my body moved with the curves. I had just ended things with a guys I had been with for seven years. I loved him and he had just left the nastiest bruise across my face. How can you fix an abusive relationship? How could I love anyone like that so much? The pain spreading across my face was the last thing on my mind. I have to work on the same brand as this guy. This guy is friends with everyone backstage. What am I going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

The Explanation

It was not that long ago, the mental affair. I was eating lunch at some deli while Tyson was out the guys. Without hesitation nor warning, he arrived. We should never have smiled at each other, but we did. I never should have glanced to see who that bulky figure was walking through the glass door. He brushed by me and instantly it felt strange.

"Nattie? Is that you? Of course it is. Do you mind if I sit here with you?" I am never the kind to say no. He sat down and ordered his lunch, "You don't have to be so quiet. I don't bite." He winked at me and at that point nothing mattered. We didn't have sex or even kiss. We just talked for hours and he smiled and said, "I want a photograph with you. I want to always have you with me." So we took a picture together. Nothing dirty or cringe worthy. I will admit my heart did pull towards him. Maybe it was because the food I was eating tasted strange. Maybe the heat or the fact that we were the only two WWE employees in the room. That had to be it. When the man you love leaves you to eat a salami sandwich by herself, it makes your mind wonder. It surely made me wonder. Any other time that Tyson would go out, it was fine. That particular day was different. I had hoped it would never mean anything. I hoped wrong. That photograph had gotten around backstage. Suddenly he and I were like Romeo and Juliet. We saw each other when we could. We were never romantic. We were best friends. When Tyson finally caught wind, he went after him. Of course he is John Cena. John can fend for himself and so he did. After that we stopped seeing each other but, he told me he would always carry our photograph. He also said, "I will wait for as long as it takes. Even if I wait for the rest of my life. I will."

Two days after Tyson and I called it quits, I moved in with Melina. There was by no means room for me or Gizmo but Melina made sure I was taken care of.

"So are we going to talk about this? If you don't want to that's okay. I understand."

"No I want too, it's just a little bad you know?" In my mind it was bad but, after I told Melina she assured me that it was okay, "Every one is tested that way. And you handled better than I would have." Melina and I were always the type that we had long conversations during car rides. We usually just talked openly about anything. We never really talked about relationships (or at least the ones we were in). There was only one time when she questioned me... We were at a dress shop in LA when Tyson called and Melina answered. I will never know what they said to each other but Melina asked me, "Does he hit you?" At the time the answer was no..but now...

I was wide awake laying in bed watching the stars twinkle outside my window. Nattie was laying at the foot of the bed, fast asleep. I was pondering waking her and moving her to her new room. I understood why she didn't go there in the first place. She didn't want to be alone and she need to know that I was there. I never thought things would ever be like this for her. I always thought she'd be married by now. I could feel her head laying on my feet and I didn't want to wake her up. I thought about myself and John. Then I thought about Nattie and her John. Was it going to work? Would they get together? My heart wanted them too and I knew Nattie's did too. What if John had moved on? I stopped thinking about that, and finally went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Frozen in time.

I was sitting in the kitchen with my head slumped over the counter and my eyes shut. Sleeping at Melina's feet with Gizmo kneading my stomach & face left me sleepless. I could feel my eyelids weighing at least a thousand pounds. I eventually let sleep take over and soon I was asleep, drifting into a dream.

The hallways that leads to the rampway, is always dark. This time however it was purple-like essence. There was no sound of anything, in fact the silence was deafening. Just as quick as I had got a glimpse of the scene, John can strolling up beside me. His right arm weaving it's way across the small of my back and resting on my hip. He leaned down to my height and whispered, "Finally." Then the smell of coffee became overwhelming and the beep of a coffee maker caused me to wake up.

"Nattie, if you're tired you can go lay down and sleep." Melina was wide awake and stirring creamer into her mug. Her eyes combed over my weary face.

"No, I'll be okay. I'll just get to bed sooner tonight, maybe sleep on the couch."

"Oh. I guess we could go out and by you your own bed today. You game?" I hesitated to answer, solely because buying my _own_ bed meant no one else would sleep in it just me.

"I could run out on my own. You & JoMo can hang out." Her expression told me she hoped I would say that but she wanted to be a good friend non the less.

I was driving in downtown L.A. It was so vastly different than what I was used to. Finally I found a furniture store and pulled in. In the lobby (which smelled like cherries..) I removed my sunglasses and rang the little silver bell on the counter. A slender woman with raven hair answered the call.

"May I help you?"

"Yes I need a mattress and a bed frame."

"Tell me a size and your preferences and write your name and address. Then I can ring you up." I took my sweet time filling out the paper. When I finally finished and payed, I felt the little pang of hunger deep in my stomach. I got back in the car and sort of drifted to a deli.

I finally settled on just a turkey salad sandwich and seated myself with my back to the window. I was half way done with my meal when the little **ping **of the bell on the door sounded. It felt normal, it was just another customer who was hungry like me. A strange feeling over came me. The warm air from outside brisked by me and I heard a man's deep voice ask for a turkey salad and a medium water. I wanted to look but I told myself not to. The only other man I ever knew to eat that sandwich was Tyson. He wouldn't be here, he couldn't be. Even if he was he would have saw me when he walked in. I heard the man take his bag of food and sit straight across from me. He unfolded the paper wrapped encasing the sandwich and grumbled. Then it got quiet. A mere five seconds after the silence, I felt a tingle on my ear. I thought my hair had just slipped a little and reached to fix it. When my hand came up to brush the hair away, I found a hand. A masculine hand. I slowly turned to face the hands on man. There was John. Just standing there like it was the must normal thing. His hands slip across my cheek and somewhat measured my cheek bone.

"Nattie." He whispered.

"John?" My voice was hoarse and broke a little. He smiled and pulled up a chair next to me. He swallowed hard and his eyes were watery. I felt weird not knowing why he was upset.

"Are you okay?" I was whispering now.

"I-I never guessed you would be here. Is Tyson with you?" There's a name I wanted John to mention.

"no. We're not together anymore."

"Oh." That felt better to say than to think about. He reached across the table and took my hand, "I don't know any other way to say this.. Nattie I really, truly love you. Ever since I met you, I knew you were meant for me. I know it seems to soon. I just couldn't keep it in anymore. I waited for you, hoping something would happen. That's terrible but, I _needed_ you."

"I don't know John. You mean there's no one in _your _life?"

"No one." And so the game begins. I closed my eyes fighting word vomit or even real vomit. I needed John just as much. There I sat before a man so many women wanted. He wanted _me_. And I just sat there with my eyes closed trying not to throw up. I was frozen in time. Trying to tear apart everything and just live in the moment. Only I couldn't say a thing.


	4. Chapter 4

What To You Say To Superman?

"Melina. I need to tell you something." I all but swayed in the doorway. The butterflies in my stomach and mini heart attacks consumed my body.

"Sure anything. Hold on a second." Melina's voice was coming from her closet. She emerged from the closet with her blue and black hair on top her head, "What is it?" Her innocent eyes begged me to tell her.

"I met someone today." Melina's face was crossed between shocked and fulfilled.

"Who?" She grabbed my hands and pulled me onto her bed, "Spill the beans!"

"John." Melina's head tilted to the left and she looked away from me.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Isn't this what got you here?" She was right. She was dead right.

"I think I do Mel. He's sweet. He found me at the deli today."

"If you're sure about this. Then I support it." Melina reached over and hugged me tightly, "Now let's get packed and hit the road."

"And her opponent, from Calgary, Alberta Canada, Natalya!"

I walked down the ramp and slapped as many hands as possible. Smiling all the while being nervous. When I finally shook all the nerves away, Alicia made her way to the ring. The bell rang and soon we were in a headlock. I flipped her over and applied a sleeper hold. She elbowed me in the stomach and I let go. This led to a kick and dirty pin followed by the second bell. My neck was stowed up and I could feel a headache spreading throughout my head.

"Nattie, are you okay? Did you hit the mat too hard?" Alicia was worried that she'd done something wrong but I assured her I was okay just tired and had some jet lag. Alicia was always worried when she worked with anyone really. I walked back to the catering room and asked for some ice. I generously applied the cold bag to the back on the neck and started the trek to the dressing room. Melina was usually there but for some odd reason she wasn't. It was like a ghost was in the room. It was just me and the room felt cold despite it being warm outside and there not being a air conditioner. I decided to just grab my stuff and go somewhere else when I noticed a dark form sitting in the corner. I didn't know what to say, "Melina?"

"No you stupid whore. It's me, Tyson." I felt my cheeks get red and I bit down on my lip. Why was he doing this?

"You belong to me and no one else." He started to come after me but I reached for the door. With my hand on the knob and bag in tow I calmly said, "Tyson, you can't do this. Messing with me or even hitting me would be bad for both of us. Vince would release you. You know it. I don't belong to anyone. Not anymore." I left the room and quickly paced myself to find somewhere neutral to calm myself down. I stumbled upon Melina and her beau John Morrison.

"Nattie you look awful!" Melina came after me and took my bag and grabbed my arm to lower me into a chair.

"Way to make her feel better Mel." John joked. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I felt personally defeated. I didn't want to admit it and I surely didn't want to keep it to myself.

"I can't talk about it." The look of sorrow overcame Melina's eyes and for a second I thought she'd cry too. John shook his head and left the room and mouthed the words, "I love you." to Melina.

"Talk to me." She sat in front of me on her knees.

"Tyson was in the women's lockeroom. He said I 'belonged to him'."

"Did he touch you?" She was starting to get fuming and that was something I didn't want her to do.

"No! No! No!." The tears started to fall and my voice cracked. Suddenly I wasn't the strong Natalya anymore. I was the weak minded & sobbing Natalie the rested her head on Melina's shoulder and cried for what seemed like an eternity.


End file.
